Get Britannica, ProQuest and TeachingBooks with a click - the Quick Access page at the State Library

California public school students now have easier home access to online educational resources during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Teachers, families and students can quickly access content from ProQuest, TeachingBooks and Britannica using this specialized website.

“These educational resources are already available to students and educators through their schools and districts but this health emergency has disrupted the way Californians live – and learn,” said California State Librarian Greg Lucas in a State Library press release published today.

“ProQuest, TeachingBooks and Britannica have generously made access easier during the next few months to help families now reliant on at-home learning,” continued Lucas.

While it's best that each district or charter have students use the resources through their local education agency, this quick access page can help in a pinch. The COVID-19 K-12 Quick Access link may be shared with your networks.

Students get access to the same content from Britannica, similar content from TeachingBooks with an at-home-learning guide, and all of the ProQuest resources except CultureGrams.

Quick overview webinar of the content on April 1
The State Library will be providing a 30-minute introduction to the resources for students and parents on Weds, April 1, at 11am. Sign up to receive an email for the Zoom link here. This introduction is geared to individuals who are new to the resources and online learning in general.

Remote Access Credential Questions - There's Still Time!
Ideally each district or charter sets up its own account with home access credentials so usage can be tracked by the district or charter. Additionally, using the established set-up means students become accustomed to the long-term access methods rather than the temporary page during the COVID-19 closures. District administrators and IT staff can still provide information into the regular form from the main K-12 Online Content page to set up accounts. 

For districts that have set up their accounts but need help with the home-access credentials, this information can be obtained from the Britannica and TeachingBooks help desks directly (see info below). ProQuest's access set-up is a bit more complex because of the number and nature of their resources. If you are the lead administrator for your account and need to streamline the access credentials (districtname/districtcodes), take a look at this Set-Up Tutorial Video that ProQuest trainer Lindsey Skaggs created. Also got to the ProQuest LibGuide for California for the most current updates.

Each of the content providers offers Help Desk Support. The State Library can also provide assistance. 

• Britannica: (800) 621-3900 x 7160, edsupport@eb.com, Britannica Support Page 
• ProQuest: (800) 521-0600 ext. 72971, customerservice@proquest.com, ProQuest Support Page 
• TeachingBooks: (800) 596-0710, accounts@TeachingBooks.net, TeachingBooks Support Page 
• California State Library: marybeth.barber@library.ca.gov  "

Training Videos for Teachers and Students
Suddenly have a lot of interest in how to use the K-12 Online Content for education? Send them to a roadshow -- the one that happened in San Diego last September. The videos of the training are up still and available to view (courtesy of the San Diego County Office of Education). 

TEACHINGBOOKS TRAINING (San Diego, Sept 2019)
BRITANNICA TRAINING (San Diego, Sept 2019)
PROQUEST TRAINING W/GENERAL OVERVIEW INTRO (San Diego, Sept 2019)

More content suggestions coming soon
The State Library will be providing information on additional online educational content resources in the coming weeks. Please encourage others to sign up for this newsletter for updates. For additional educational website suggestions, please visit the Resources that Support Distance Learning page from the California Department of Education’s COVID-19 Guidance for Schools.